Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1887-03-12

lie said, "There goes John Bun
j, yam, but for the grace Sef Cod"
can say when see one utterly fal
len, "There goes De Wit TalWage
but fer tlle grace of God!' sIky(
have been delivered from tempta>
tion it is because the strong arm o
the Lord Almighty has been abon
us, and not because we were any
better than they. 1t is Il great
folly TO borrow trouble. Ii we Gil
meet the miSiortunes of to day, W.
will besable to meet the troubles
of to morrow; but suppose now
through IL lack of the religion d
Jesus, we are overthrow by small
scrrows, does not our commol
sense teach us that we cannot
stand UP against great onesl II
I've canho t=carrys a pound, can We
4 carry Thousand oi1d DIS ssgI fsWe
eteIs
sIwittf onsTe giinee brig le vii
1cIt1iss to pieces: sU 10 we ar5slinfitste
copeswith. Que smaltbrial, won't,we
be overcome by greater oncs2e II
the f0Otmen are too much for us,
WON'T tile odds be more fearful
against us when we contend with
horses? | thank God that some Of
His dear children have been de-
livered. How was it that Paul
could say: "SorrowtnI, yet always
rejoicing; poor, yet making manly
rich; having nothing, yet possess
ing all thingS?' And David, the
psxlmiSt, scars up into the rock OF
Gods strength and becomes thor
oughly composed amid all his Sor-
rows, saying: "GoI is our refuge
and strength, very present help
in the time of trouble; therefore
will not we fear though the earth
be removed, though the nj luntalns
be cast into the midst OF the sea,
though the waters thereof roar and
be troubled, though the mountain
shake with THE swelling thereof.
Selah."
But my text suggests something
in advance OF anything have said.
We must all quit this life. How
ever sound or health may be, it
must break down; however good
our title may be to houses, land and
estates, we must surrender them.
We will heir IL voice bidding us
away from all these places. We
will have to start Oh pilgrimage
from which we can never come
back. We will have seen for the
last time the evening star, and
watched the last summer cloud, and
felt the breath Of the spring wind
for the last time. Hands Of loved
ones may be stretched out to hold
us back, but they cannot-so we
must. About all other exits and
changes we may tribe, bat not
about this. SturendouS moment OF
life-qnittins! Oh, when the great
tides of eternity arise. about us,and
ill che soul and surround it, and
sweep it out towards rapture OF
woe, all, that will be 1.-THE swelling
of Jordan!' l know people some
times talk very meIrily abolt the
departure from this life. am sor
ry to hear it. But men To N IKE
fun of the passage from one world
to another. Byron jolled IL g 'eilt
deal about it, but hen It Game he
shivered with horror Many an i'll
hdel has scodied at the idea Of fea7-
ing future world, but lying upon
his pillow in tile last hour his teeth
have chattered with terror. lSlw,
in Westminster Abby, all epltaph
which Il poet ordered to be put upon
his tomb:
Life is a jest,
And all things show it,
/ thought SO once.
Blu. now L know it,.
| thought how inapt that, in IL
place of srpulture, men should rry
their witticims. A great German
having rejected Christ, in his lust
moment said: "Give me light, give
me light" Oh, we MY be smart
with our witticlsm about the last
hour; but when it comes. and the
tides are rising, and tie surf is
beating, and tile win'ls are bowling,
we will each one, my brethren, find
for himself that it is "the swelling
of Jordan Our natural courage
won't hold ont then. However Ia
mlliar we may have been with
scenes of mortality, however much
we may have screwed our courage
up, we want something more than
natural resources. When the north
east wind blows off from the sea OF
death it will put out all earthly
lights. The lamp of the Gospel,
God.Ilghted, is the only lamp that
can stand in that bldst. The weak
est arm holding that shall not be
COMPOUNDED; the strongest one re.
jecting that shall stumble aad die.
When The Jordan rises i'll its wrilth..
the first dash of5its wave will
swamp them for ever. We feel how
sad it IS for a man to attempt this
life without religion. We seewhat
a doletul thing it is for man TO
go down into the misfortunes OF
life withoat Christian solace; but if
that be SO, how much more terrible
when that man comes face to face
with the solemnities of the last
hour! Oh, ifIn the bright sunshine
of health aud prosperity a man felt
the need Of something better, how
will he feel when the shadows OF
Ii,